It's been a long time
by rangers123
Summary: No parents have to be deprived of being with their child. So how did the king and queen deal with their daughter Rapunzel's disappearance? All they want is their daughter to be home.R&R, any constructive criticism would be helpful  first fanfic.


This is my first fanfic ever. I really enjoyed watching the movie Tangled but often I wondered what the king and queen were thinking moments before they saw Rapunzel.

So, here you go. A story of their thoughts and their reaction to Rapunzel returning home.

**It's been a long time**

It had been nearly 18 years since the princess had been last seen.

The kidnapping of the princess by an unknown intruder had shocked the citizens of the fair kingdom of Corona, an island kingdom situated peacefully in the ocean. The princess had been loved deeply by all of the citizens in this kingdom, and the thoughts of her to never return was a troubling thought for many. While many hoped that she would someday return, the years passed by with no sign of the princess returning. Eventually, the citizens of Corona slowly began to realize that she would probably never return home.

None had been more affected by this tragedy than from the king and queen themselves. They did in fact rule their kingdom well and for many years they had kept the kingdom at peace, but their minds were always on something else, whether they were at a peace conference, trade delegation, or a lavish banquet: the return of their beautiful little daughter, Rapunzel. Since the day of the kidnapping, they had feverishly searched for their little angel, and although the search teams and eventually the Captain of the Royal Guard said there was no hope for her return after days of frantic searching, they still believed that one day that their daughter would come back, standing in their bedroom, calling them, "Mother, Father."

So when the day of their daughter's supposed 18th birthday came, while their daughter was not there, they lit that first candle and sent it up in the first lantern in to the night sky, along with thousands of others lighted lanterns across the kingdom, in hopes that she would return home someday. The king, tearing up, hugged his wife; both wondering if they would ever see their daughter again.

It was the day after the Festival of Lanterns.

The king was poised against the wall in the throne room, looking outside through a window at the bustling city below them. Merchants called out their prices, farmers delivered their goods, and shop owners busily catered to their customers. In the sea, trading vessels weaved in and out of Corona's main port, as an influx of new goods came through the kingdom's doors, ready to be sold. Life went on in this quiet kingdom.

He sighed, and then glanced over at his wife of 20 years. She was seated in her chair, reading a book he knew she had read many times already. He knew what she was thinking: Life would be so much better if only their daughter was home. He knew that the queen blamed herself for the reason that their daughter was gone. But he was to blame also; at least that's what he thought. Together, they both thought that their daughter would be still here if only they could've done something to protect their child. Time and time again, their excuses and thoughts had swirled around in their heads, taunting them with painful memories.

**If only the queen had not gotten sick and forced the entire kingdom to search for that one mystical flower for her to be healed. **

_ The king, 19 years younger, stared lovingly at his sick pregnant wife, trembling as he held a small bowl of water containing a single flower that he and all the other people in this room knew could be the only hope for her to be healed of her mysterious sickness._

_ The queen lied motionless on her bed, covered by extra blankets, as she slept peacefully. The king came over and shook her awake gently. "Drink this, for it will help you," he said as he placed the bowl next to her mouth. She slowly drank it down, and almost instantly, a sudden spark of bright light came from the queen. The guards and servants in the room gasped as the light grew brighter and brighter, and then, all of the sudden, it disappeared as fast as it came. Stunned, the king called for a physician, who immediately pronounced that the queen was healed and that she would bear a healthy child. _

**If only they could've seen the face of their little angel once more, with her enormous green eyes and blond silky hair.**

_ The queen picked up the little baby, who squealed and laughed when the king tickled her on her feet. There was just something about this baby which was so magical, the spirit of life and joy that she brought to the kingdom. Everyone absolutely adored Rapunzel and her innocent attitude. Rapunzel, the king and queen decided, was the joy of their lives._

**If only the thousands of lanterns they sent up every year were to celebrate the gift of life and joy Rapunzel brought to the kingdom instead of being seen as a symbol of mourning.**

_Rapunzel peered over her father's shoulder, curious as she could be as the entire kingdom waited for the ceremony to start. The king made a short speech, proclaiming the day to be a day of celebration at the birth of Rapunzel. Uninterested, Rapunzel played with his father's long robe, pretending that she was playing with a cat. Then her mother took a lighted candle and dipped it close to another candle, lighting it. She then placed it into one of the lanterns that lied on the ground, and let the candle float gently into the air as the crowd watched. Then Rapunzel was lifted into the air, the king showing her to the kingdom, as a united community roared in delight at the celebration of a newborn royal child._

**If only they had been there to stop the person who took their shining little star away forever.**

_The royal couple was sleeping in their bed when they were interrupted by a bang and the sounds of footsteps in Rapunzel's room. Worried, they rushed over to see a cloaked figure, holding their child, dart out of Rapunzel's bedroom and disappear forever even as the king shouted for guards to catch the figure._

**If only they had searched some more for their daughter.**

_The king and queen were seated in their chairs, hoping for the best but knowing that the worst was more likely. It had been nine days since the disappearance of their daughter. The captain of the Royal Guard was somber as he gave his report: The daughter still could not be found, even with the entire kingdom and neighboring allies searching for her. The likelihood that she would be ever found was diminishing rapidly, and there was a possibly that she would be gone forever. The queen quietly sobbed as the king stared at the ground, thinking, 'This can't be happening.' She was gone, stolen from their lives, and they would probably never see her again._

Their thoughts were interrupted with the opening of the door. They both looked at each other as they frowned. They had specifically instructed not to be bothered unless it was an emergency. They turned around to see a soldier of the Royal Guard, panting. He slowly nodded at them as if to confirm something. There had been rumors that a girl with long blond hair had been sighted dancing in the town square with other citizens, but no one had been sure it was actually true. Still, the king and queen secretly hoped that this mysterious person was their daughter.

_Could it be?_ The king and queen thought as they glanced at each other. Still dumbfounded yet hopeful, they hurried through the castle to the balcony, both lost in their thoughts. The king's heart was racing with the thoughts that he could finally see his daughter, all grown up, waiting for her daddy, but at the same time, he feared that she would just an imitation, a copycat, somebody who wasn't his daughter. The queen, on the other hand, worried for one thing, that her baby was finally here, and that she would miss out on seeing her. As they approached the balcony door, they glanced at each other briefly. It was time to find out.

The king pushed the door open with his hand and he gasped as he saw who it was. One of the most wanted men in the kingdom, the infamous Flynn Rider was next to…

_Their daughter. _She looked different, with her thick blond hair being replaced with a much shorter trimming along with a color change from blond to brown. Although vastly different from the little baby Rapunzel who had once captured the kingdom's hearts, she still had many similar features. She still had that adorable face with those huge green eyes and a sprinkle of freckles along her nose. _Was she real? _Both the king and queen thought.

The queen slowly made her way across the bridge connecting the balcony to the entrance as their daughter did the same. Time seemed to slow down as the two slowly came closer and closer. A piercing thought within the queen's subconscious kept poking at her, telling her this was not her daughter, this was an impostor, this was a… The queen pushed it away. _It was her._ She soon came face to face with her daughter and stared into her beautiful green eyes as her daughter did the same. Suddenly, she embraced her daughter. It had been too long since she had held her child. All those years…she knew that Rapunzel was still out there. It was just a matter of time before she returned home. _My prayers have been answered,_ the queen thought as Rapunzel returned the hug.

The king saw what was happening out on the balcony, and he strolled over to his wife and newly found daughter as. He couldn't believe it either. From the time the search and rescue teams had said they probably would never find her again, he had been a depressed and quiet person, with his thoughts only on finding his daughter. Now she was bent down on the ground, hugging his wife. He made his way over to the balcony, tears forming at the corners of his eyes. It just felt like yesterday when he had held his daughter. He bent down on his knees and hugged both his wife and daughter.

They sat there on the balcony for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, the queen noticed Rider, standing there awkwardly off to the side, fidgeting with his shirt buttons. She put her hand as if to congratulate him for her daughter's safe arrival, then pulled a surprised Rider into the family embrace. Together, the four of them embraced each other as a period of worry and hopelessness was finally over.

As they all got up, Rapunzel said something to the king and queen they thought they would never hear again.

"Mother, Father, I'm so glad to see you."


End file.
